<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Canabula Mundi by holdyourbreathfornow</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25061659">Canabula Mundi</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/holdyourbreathfornow/pseuds/holdyourbreathfornow'>holdyourbreathfornow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Caelestis [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birth of an eldritch being, Caelestis AU, Character gets hypnotized by the universe, Joshua controls nebulae, Multi, Poly Parents, Rating due to cursing, They/Them Pronouns For Benrey (Half-Life)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:21:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,178</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25061659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/holdyourbreathfornow/pseuds/holdyourbreathfornow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Black Hole just wants to spend some time with their partners.</p>
<p>If the universe could stop ruining that, it'd be great.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Benrey/Tommy Coolatta/Gordon Freeman, Gordon Freeman &amp; Joshua Freeman, Tommy Coolatta &amp; The G-Man</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Caelestis [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812418</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>137</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Canabula Mundi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Planet spent his time constructing spires from stone and carefully cultivating his odd little biological organisms.  He would spend a couple thousand years on one planet before he was ever satisfied with what he had done. Then as soon as he was done, he would fly right off to the next project, not even taking a millennium or two as a short break.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>The Star was also constantly creating, fire and heat flaring across the vast emptiness, breathing hydrogen and helium until they sparked, and eventually he was also there to witness the slow fade of warmth, to see each star off to its endless slumber.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>With that in mind, the Black Hole spent a lot of his time split between them.  The Planet didn’t always let him near the new planets, so as to prevent their accidental destruction, but the Star was more than happy to feed the Black Hole gifts of dying stars, even allowing some to be transformed into another of the Black Hole’s endless gaping maws.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>So when all three took a few hundred years to hurtle through space together, the Black Hole made sure to treasure every minute.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>“If you like having all of us together, why didn’t you just say something?”  The Star asked and the Planet twirled closer to the Black Hole, pieces of mantle breaking off and being consumed almost unconsciously.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I-it’s not always that easy!  There’s a whole lot of space and we don’t exactly stay… We don’t operate in the same area constantly!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Exactly.”  The Black Hole was almost smug and the Star flared out at them in fond irritation.  “How are we supposed to have any time together when you’re always off making helium and shit?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Oh, like you aren’t constantly trying to eat more than you can chew.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>“He’s got you there.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>“...I’m hungry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>“This is exactly what I’m talking about!”  The star crackled with heat while the Planet’s water burbled and hissed in amusement.  “Fine, let’s see if there’s anything around for you to eat.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Split up?  W-we can cover more space.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Bro, that was so bad.”  The Black Hole sneered but the Planet silenced them with some more chunks of rock that they let drift around them in a decaying orbit for later.  “But good idea.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>The three Celestial Controllers split up, the Black Hole devouring everything it could, including an unlucky meteoroid hurtling past.  Hopefully the Asteroid wouldn’t get too mad at them for that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually they came across a planet decimated by the death of its sun, and they set about swallowing everything around them until they finally came as close to satisfaction as they could.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Planet floated over and looked around.  There was a moment of silence and he almost seemed to be mourning, even though the planet the Black Hole had consumed was already dead.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...Sorry.”  The Black Hole apologized, just to be on the safe side, but the Planet splashed them with some of his water and did his best to lift the mood.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fine!  I know none of them last but… It’s nice that what I make can still be helpful even if I don’t control it anymore!”  The Black Hole carefully curled a tendril of void around the Planet’s crust for a short second before the Planet spoke again.  “C’mon!  Let’s go find the Star!  I’m sure he thinks you’re trying to sneak one of his protostars again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good idea.  I don’t need him trying to burn me again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Star was floating just outside a dust cloud when the other two found him.  He was staring into it contemplatively, and his flames were blue, barely warm enough to still be burning.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Star!”  The Planet called out and came closer, but the Star didn’t respond to him, silent and almost cold.  The Planet’s magma churned anxiously and he curled around the Star.  “Star, are you listening?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?”  the Black Hole asked and the Planet uncurled from around the Star, crust shifting noisily.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know!  He won’t answer me!”  Almost like he was responding to what the Planet was saying, the Star’s head snapped up and his flames roared back into life with a white-hot burst.  The Black Hole flew between the Star and the Planet, siphoning up the extra heat and light.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As quickly as the Star burst back into activity, he vanished in a streak of light, leaving the Planet and the Black Hole alone in a stunned silence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think… We need to get the Galaxy for this one.”  The Black Hole said, and the Planet wordlessly followed as they flew in the opposite direction the Star had gone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When the two finally found the Galaxy, he was adjusting the orbit of a dwarf planet, which he quietly abandoned when he saw the two of them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You two… To steal a human expression.  Look like shit.”  The Black Hole spitefully ate some of the asteroids from the belt, and the Galaxy fell silent.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We were out with the Star and he just… I don’t know how to explain it!  I just turned my back for… A minute!  And when we got back, he w-wouldn’t even look at us!  I t-tried to get his attention, but then he just flew away!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.  That does seem.  Unnerving.”  The Galaxy idly replaced the asteroids the Black Hole had eaten before he spoke again.  “But I do have an explanation… And hopefully it will be good news.  He’s gone into a Creation Trance.  I went through something, I believe, almost identical with the Planet.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So he’s making a new Controller?”  The Black Hole asked and the Galaxy hummed in agreement.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“W-we should go find him!”  The Planet cried, his oceans swelling in excitement, and the Galaxy hummed yet again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Indeed.  Though I feel it would be… Wise to warn you he won’t respond until he’s done.  And let him rest afterwards.  It’s a very.  Draining process.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you!”  The Planet called as he and the Black Hole took off once again, leaving the Galaxy alone with his own pet project.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Star had vanished into a dust cloud, one the Planet and Black Hole couldn’t pierce no matter how they tried.  So instead, they waited impatiently outside the perimeter, wound tightly together in companionable silence.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It took a few millennia, but eventually the cloud thinned and the Star emerged, beams of light carefully wrapped around something.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that them?”  The Black Hole asked, as quietly as they could.  The Planet shifted a little closer and the Star glowed with warmth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.  C’mere.”  The blinding light faded and nestled in the Star’s core of hydrogen and helium was a small, multi-colored cloud of elements, ones that the Star himself used to create.  The new Controller’s colors shifted and spots of light burst and faded periodically inside their cloud of color.  “This is the Nebula.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh… Look at him!”  the Planet cooed and the three of them wound around the newest Controller, who watched everything happening around him, cooing quietly as he familiarized himself with existing.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>